With the return of Francisco Liriano and AJ Burnett, who was flipped for Eddie Volquez again, the Pirate rotation is shaping up for 2015. Gerrit Cole is healthy, Charlie Morton is hoped to be on schedule to start the year, and the group of Vance Worley, Jeff Locke, Stolmy Pimentel and Brandon Cumpton are looking for back-end spots.
Radhames Liz is a swingman who the Pirates will tinker with, as his stuff has always been better than his performance. The righty has the potential to become a starter, though he's probably slated for the pen this year. Clayton Richard is another reclamation project, and the southpaw will start at Indy while the Bucs try to rekindle his San Diego mojo.
Jamison Taillon and Nick Kingham will both begin the year at Indy, and for different reasons have iffy estimated times of arrival. Taillon is back after missing a year due to TJ surgery, and will knock off some rust with his innings monitored by the Pirates. Kingham has upside but not many upper level innings; he's worked 144 frames in AA and 88 at Indy. Still, he's been steady and could reach the show before Jamison, perhaps as soon as the All-Star break.
Tyler Glasnow, Adrian Sampson, Casey Sadler and Luis Heredia are the top group below Taillon and Kingham.
Some of that depth may come in handy in the early going. Morton is recovering from hip labrum surgery and Burnett from a sports hernia procedure. Both are said to be on track to open the season on time, but the key will be whether or not they can get their spring work in. Lack of Florida innings could delay one or both guys' return (AJ is the better bet to be ready at the bell), albeit for a short time. The Bucs will need a fifth starter three times in April, so their availability may impact the early form of the staff.
But the telling battle will be for the last spot; Cole, Liriano, Morton and Burnett are set in stone. The competition will have an organizational impact, as well - Worley, Locke, Pimentel, and Liz are out of options; Cumpton has one remaining. That should prove an interesting sidebar for the spring.
The pen is in good shape as far as the top guys go - Mark Melancon, Tony Watson, Antonio Bastardo and Jared Hughes are set, with Bastardo a solid Plan B acquisition after Pat Neshek signed elsewhere. Big John Holdzkem had a nice 2014 debut; he also has all his options intact, which could be a factor in his April destination.
Will the Pirates try to carry, at least early on, the losers of the rotation wars? The FO also has LOOGY Bobby LaFromboise and Rob Scahill stashed on the 40-man roster, and a couple of interesting arms like Blake Wood and Brad Lincoln are part of the seven-man group of non-roster invitees. So that's where the fiercest competition should take place in the spring, among the crew of long and bridge pitchers.
One thing Neal Huntington did was quietly put his stamp of approval this year on the pitching depth and the organizational support behind it. There was no reclamation/bounce-back project on his shopping list this year, quite unlike seasons past.
Brett Anderson, Jason Hammel, Justin Masterson, Brandon McCarthy, Brandon Morrow, Jake Peavy and yes, even Eddie Volquez went by the boards without a gentle whiff of public interest shown by the Pirates. Some inked pretty nice contracts, and it could be that the rest of the league has caught on to the Pirates' milking of a market inefficiency. It could also be the Bucco organization is finally filling the pipeline, too.
Neal did put together his usual cattle call of relievers, more to build depth over a long season than to really challenge for a back-end spot. Bastardo replaced Justin Wilson, and Pirates probably could use one more seventh inning arm, especially with Bryan Morris and Jason Grilli gone. But that looks to be the only hole, and perhaps one that can be filled internally. Remember, Watson and Hughes were both converted starters, and they worked out without skipping a beat. Locke and Liz both potentially fit that mold.
This is as deep as Pirate pitching has been in the Nutting era. When AJ, even during his farewell tour year, is the #4 pitcher, you have a pretty solid staff on paper. One more late inning arm will fill the bullpen bill. Taillon and Kingham are on the rotation's horizon, and the pitching is in as good a place as it's been for quite a spell.
Showing posts with label pirate pitching 2015. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pirate pitching 2015. Show all posts
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Pirate Starting Pitchers 2015...Who's Out There?
Gerrit Cole - AJ Burnett - Vance Worley - Jeff Locke - Stolmy Pimentel/Brandon Cumpton. Right now, that's your 2015 Pittsburgh Pirate starting rotation.
Some help is on the horizon. Charlie Morton will be back, possibly by June, from his hip labrum surgery, though hasn't had much luck on the injury front. Jameson Taillon should be set to go to Indy early on, too, after his TJ replacement, but his availability is iffy. We'd expect the Bucs to keep a tight inning count on his prized arm this season, and that caution could short-circuit a 2015 arrival.
Nick Kingham will open the year at Indy, but while his stuff is MLB quality, his consistency isn't, so this will be a big year for him to show up and grind away day-in and day-out. Casey Sadler is also on the short list, although he didn't do much in his 2014 cup of coffee visit to Pittsburgh. Tyler Glasnow and Joely Rodriguez are penciled in to begin the campaign at Altoona, but it would take a real breakout season to have them land in Pittsburgh this coming year.
That leaves the Bucs in the position where a pitcher to slot between Cole and Burnett should be their primary goal during the off season with a secondary goal of building a little depth for the inevitable bumps on the bump along the road. To be sure, they're not looking at Jon Lester, Max Scherzer or James Shields, but there is an intriguing and serviceable secondary market waiting on the Big 3 to sign.
Pittsburgh could bring back Frankie Liriano. He turned down the qualifying offer of the Bucs, but that potential first round hit could be the wild card that brings him back in the fold. He's said to be looking at a three year deal, likely in the $12M/year range. At 31, that's not outrageous, so he could be in play.
Eddie Volquez, 31, is said to still be on the Bucco radar. He's looking for three years, and his peripheral stats didn't match his solid counting numbers of 2014. But he'd be a bit cheaper; the Pirates will be weighing the length of his deal versus projected performance.
Brandon McCarthy is another potential, if popular, target. After a terrible start with Arizona, he went 7-5/2.89 with the Yankees. The difference was that the D-backs scrapped his cutter; the Bronx Bombers brought it back, along with a four seamer to keep hitters honest. His 52.6% ground ball rate and 7.8 K-per-9 rate is right up the Pirates alley. Also 31, he'll probably be looking at a Liriano-like deal, held back only an injury history (five times on the DL with shoulder problems) that he managed to shake in 2014 with 32 starts and 200 IP.
Justin Masterson, 29, went from the penthouse to the poorhouse in a New York minute, but he was diagnosed with a rib-cage injury in September after missing a month earlier in the year with a bum knee. He features a power sinker that led to a 58% ground ball rate the last two seasons and averaged 8.1 K even with his issues last year. The injuries are cause for concern, but he's a prime bounce back pitcher. Masterson may take a short-term deal to rebuild his value, although his solid track record prior to last year could earn him a multi-year offer.
Jason Hammel, 32, is another interesting case. He was strong with the Cubs, not so much with the A's. One thing that should concern the Bucs is that his ground ball rate has been in the 40% range the last two seasons after being 53% in 2012. Also, his use of the cutter dropped from 34% in '12 to 24% last year, and that sounds like a Ray Searage adjustment in the making. Hammel is seeking a multi-year deal, probably also in the Liriano-McCarthy range.
Brett Anderson, 26, has managed just 51 starts over his last five years. He hasn't worked more than 112-1/3 innings or made over 19 starts since 2009, and he missed most of 2014 with various injuries, requiring back surgery in August. Still, he has a 55.4% career ground ball rate, tosses from the left side owns a solid slash (3.73 ERA, 3.55 SIERA) when he does make it to the mound and has age on his side. Anderson should be ready for camp, although with his past history, that's not guaranteed. He's another guy who is looking at a short-term deal.
Brandon Morrow, 30, was all that in 2012 when he was 10-7 with a 2.96 ERA until a couple of years of injuries slowed him down (he's visited the DL at least once in every one of the past five seasons, though with no red flag injuries) Now he's yet another pitcher who fits the Bucs' profile of high K (8 per nine), high walk (five per nine) and good grounder rate (50%). Morrow is in line for a short-term deal, too, as he seeks to rebuild his value.
Gavin Floyd, 31, signed with the Braves last year after TJ surgery and then fractured his elbow in June after pitching to a 2.65 ERA. He's been a dependable mid-rotation arm, but his recent rash of major injuries sounds a loud warning bell. Floyd is an inexpensive, short term candidate.
Jake Peavy, 33, looked like a has-been with the Red Sox but was rejuvenated when he was traded to the NL, going 6-4 with a 2.17 ERA for the Giants. He could slot as a three or four rotation guy, and is said to be looking for a two or preferably three year deal, which may be a bit more than Pittsburgh is willing to offer.
(And no, we didn't forget Ervin Santana; his high fly ball rate, desire for multi-years on a deal and first-round draft pick onus make him a very unlikely candidate for Pittsburgh in our minds.)
This year, the Pirates have a fairly robust market to troll. There are a lot of guys that are fairly young, come without having turned down qualifiers, have tasted success and keep the ball in the dirt, albeit most come with "handle with care" health warnings. The Bucs are thought to have somewhere around $20M to burn, and could land a pair of arms at that price. While some of the candidates are looking for multi-year deals, which the FO has generally been shy about doling out, there are also several one-year, rebuild value contracts to be had.
Pittsburgh has become a prime landing spot to nurture downhill careers - Burnett, Liriano and Volquez can attest to that - and after the elite set the market, the FO should be hot and heavy into the pitching fray during this hot stove season.
Some help is on the horizon. Charlie Morton will be back, possibly by June, from his hip labrum surgery, though hasn't had much luck on the injury front. Jameson Taillon should be set to go to Indy early on, too, after his TJ replacement, but his availability is iffy. We'd expect the Bucs to keep a tight inning count on his prized arm this season, and that caution could short-circuit a 2015 arrival.
Nick Kingham will open the year at Indy, but while his stuff is MLB quality, his consistency isn't, so this will be a big year for him to show up and grind away day-in and day-out. Casey Sadler is also on the short list, although he didn't do much in his 2014 cup of coffee visit to Pittsburgh. Tyler Glasnow and Joely Rodriguez are penciled in to begin the campaign at Altoona, but it would take a real breakout season to have them land in Pittsburgh this coming year.
That leaves the Bucs in the position where a pitcher to slot between Cole and Burnett should be their primary goal during the off season with a secondary goal of building a little depth for the inevitable bumps on the bump along the road. To be sure, they're not looking at Jon Lester, Max Scherzer or James Shields, but there is an intriguing and serviceable secondary market waiting on the Big 3 to sign.
Pittsburgh could bring back Frankie Liriano. He turned down the qualifying offer of the Bucs, but that potential first round hit could be the wild card that brings him back in the fold. He's said to be looking at a three year deal, likely in the $12M/year range. At 31, that's not outrageous, so he could be in play.
Eddie Volquez, 31, is said to still be on the Bucco radar. He's looking for three years, and his peripheral stats didn't match his solid counting numbers of 2014. But he'd be a bit cheaper; the Pirates will be weighing the length of his deal versus projected performance.
Brandon McCarthy is another potential, if popular, target. After a terrible start with Arizona, he went 7-5/2.89 with the Yankees. The difference was that the D-backs scrapped his cutter; the Bronx Bombers brought it back, along with a four seamer to keep hitters honest. His 52.6% ground ball rate and 7.8 K-per-9 rate is right up the Pirates alley. Also 31, he'll probably be looking at a Liriano-like deal, held back only an injury history (five times on the DL with shoulder problems) that he managed to shake in 2014 with 32 starts and 200 IP.
Justin Masterson, 29, went from the penthouse to the poorhouse in a New York minute, but he was diagnosed with a rib-cage injury in September after missing a month earlier in the year with a bum knee. He features a power sinker that led to a 58% ground ball rate the last two seasons and averaged 8.1 K even with his issues last year. The injuries are cause for concern, but he's a prime bounce back pitcher. Masterson may take a short-term deal to rebuild his value, although his solid track record prior to last year could earn him a multi-year offer.
Jason Hammel, 32, is another interesting case. He was strong with the Cubs, not so much with the A's. One thing that should concern the Bucs is that his ground ball rate has been in the 40% range the last two seasons after being 53% in 2012. Also, his use of the cutter dropped from 34% in '12 to 24% last year, and that sounds like a Ray Searage adjustment in the making. Hammel is seeking a multi-year deal, probably also in the Liriano-McCarthy range.
Brett Anderson, 26, has managed just 51 starts over his last five years. He hasn't worked more than 112-1/3 innings or made over 19 starts since 2009, and he missed most of 2014 with various injuries, requiring back surgery in August. Still, he has a 55.4% career ground ball rate, tosses from the left side owns a solid slash (3.73 ERA, 3.55 SIERA) when he does make it to the mound and has age on his side. Anderson should be ready for camp, although with his past history, that's not guaranteed. He's another guy who is looking at a short-term deal.
Brandon Morrow, 30, was all that in 2012 when he was 10-7 with a 2.96 ERA until a couple of years of injuries slowed him down (he's visited the DL at least once in every one of the past five seasons, though with no red flag injuries) Now he's yet another pitcher who fits the Bucs' profile of high K (8 per nine), high walk (five per nine) and good grounder rate (50%). Morrow is in line for a short-term deal, too, as he seeks to rebuild his value.
Gavin Floyd, 31, signed with the Braves last year after TJ surgery and then fractured his elbow in June after pitching to a 2.65 ERA. He's been a dependable mid-rotation arm, but his recent rash of major injuries sounds a loud warning bell. Floyd is an inexpensive, short term candidate.
Jake Peavy, 33, looked like a has-been with the Red Sox but was rejuvenated when he was traded to the NL, going 6-4 with a 2.17 ERA for the Giants. He could slot as a three or four rotation guy, and is said to be looking for a two or preferably three year deal, which may be a bit more than Pittsburgh is willing to offer.
(And no, we didn't forget Ervin Santana; his high fly ball rate, desire for multi-years on a deal and first-round draft pick onus make him a very unlikely candidate for Pittsburgh in our minds.)
This year, the Pirates have a fairly robust market to troll. There are a lot of guys that are fairly young, come without having turned down qualifiers, have tasted success and keep the ball in the dirt, albeit most come with "handle with care" health warnings. The Bucs are thought to have somewhere around $20M to burn, and could land a pair of arms at that price. While some of the candidates are looking for multi-year deals, which the FO has generally been shy about doling out, there are also several one-year, rebuild value contracts to be had.
Pittsburgh has become a prime landing spot to nurture downhill careers - Burnett, Liriano and Volquez can attest to that - and after the elite set the market, the FO should be hot and heavy into the pitching fray during this hot stove season.
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